SCOTLAND’S amputee football team has been urged not to play in a match against an Israeli side due to the genocide in Gaza.
The Amputee Football Association Scotland (AFAS) will host FCSB, Panathinaikos and Israeli side Maccabi Haifa at the inaugural EAFF Conference League in Bucharest, Romania, from September 23 to 25.
Ahead of the match, which is organised by each country’s national federations, the president of the Palestine Amputee Football Association (PAFA) has urged Scotland to boycott their match against Maccabi Haifa.
PAFA's president Fouad Ibrahim Abu Ghalyoun outlined in his letter to the AFAS that many Palestinian athletes have died due to Israel’s deadly and prolonged assault on the territory.
“In light of the ongoing genocide in Gaza and the grave violations committed against the Palestinian people, we respectfully urge the Scotland Amputee Football Association and its players to decline participation in this match,” Ghalyoun wrote.
“Palestinian civilians, including children, athletes, and persons with disabilities, continue to endure killing, displacement, starvation, and the destruction of homes, hospitals, schools, sports facilities, and essential infrastructure.
“Many Palestinian athletes have been killed or injured, while countless others have lost limbs and now face extremely difficult conditions without adequate medical care, rehabilitation, or access to sport.”
Since October 7, 2023, Israel has carried out a prolonged assault on the Gaza Strip, where at least 4800 amputations of limbs have been carried out, with ten children losing one or both limbs every day.
Many patients have been forced to undergo amputation without anaesthesia and other crucial medical supplies.
More than 43,000 Palestinians are now living with life‑changing injuries, a quarter of them children, while some 18,500 critical patients – including around 4000 children – remain trapped inside Gaza awaiting medical evacuation that may never come.
Ghalyoun added that for Palestinian amputee footballers, “sport is much more than competition”.
“It is a means of recovery, dignity, inclusion, and hope,” he added.
“It is therefore deeply painful to see Israeli teams continue to participate normally in international sporting events while Palestinian athletes are being deprived of their most basic rights, including the right to life.
“We believe that sport cannot be separated from human rights and moral responsibility. Taking the field against a team representing Israel under these circumstances risks presenting an image of normality while the suffering of Palestinians continues.
“We therefore appeal to you, your players, and the wider Scottish sporting community to take a principled stand by refusing to play this match. Such a decision would send a powerful message of solidarity with Palestinian athletes, amputees, and all victims of the ongoing violence in Gaza.
“We trust in Scotland's proud tradition of solidarity, justice, and support for the Palestinian people. Your stand at this critical moment would remind the world that sport must uphold human dignity and cannot remain silent in the face of grave injustice.”
Ghalyoun concluded by thanking the AFAS for their “consideration, solidarity, and support”.
